Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is one of the most widely used surfactants in commerce. It finds special application in light duty liquid detergents. A potential disadvantage of LAS, however, is that under hard water conditions, i.e., calcium levels greater than about 150 parts per million, it can interact with cationic water hardness ions, such as calcium, thereby becoming inactivated through precipitation. While this is a problem common to anionic surfactants, LAS is especially sensitive to water hardness ions.
It has been found that light duty liquid detergent formulations containing one or more secondary alkyl sulfate compounds can be used in place of LAS as well as primary alkyl sulfates with the advantages being increased tolerance for water hardness ions, good detergency properties, acceptable biodegradability, rapid dissolution rates and good foam performance.